Back from the game (an armchair view)

[shoey]

considering it was SC who put us in that position 3 yrs ago, Id say he would be the best guy to do it again.

[royal pinner]

What a load of rubbish!

No passion, no confidence and looked half fit. Marek only player who showed some skill and how Long missed two clear cut chances is beyond me. Just shows how it was never going to be our day and worryingly the players seemed to start with that attitude. I hope that Coppell can lift the players before next Sat but with our lack of cup fighting pedigree I fear our season to be over by this time next week.

If Coppell stays or goes we will need serious re-building or I can see us sliding into the First Division at the end of next season.

[glass half full]

Reading were a bag of sh1te.

Another constructive, well-worked out analysis, with some excellent points made, as usual.

[wolsey]

No no, I'm rather disgusted that a few hundred idiots decided to protest last summer and hold the club back for at least a year - I've just grown used to it now and find it amusing that those same idiots can't stand up and admit that they got it wrong. Let's get one thing very clear though, I'm not taking any pleasure in watching the turgid football being served up week by week as Steve Coppell and his team of jaded coaches slowly continue to oversee the decay of all the progress made 3 years ago whilst doing absolutely nothing about it.

You're not helping your case.

At the end of last season you were claiming all kinds of problems would descend on the club whilst Coppell was in charge. How many clubs in our league would be happy with him in charge? - Oh sorry I forgot that you know better

Do you think that finishing 4th equates to failure? - before you start about relative strengths of squad I'd say that that we were probably where we should be as far as expenditure/overall trength of squad is concerned.

[Gav]

You're just being very silly, Royalee. True enough, we've looked a bit cack lately, but we're still in with a shout at promotion. That is not holding the club back. Very few clubs manage to bounce back first time, so to achieve that would be somewhat remarkable. Stop talking like a mentalist.

[shoey]

and i am sure every team below 6 place would swap with our position

[Royal Lady]

Can Henry replace Shunt? If so, I'd go with that every day of the week. I'd drop SHunt completely - not even put him on the bench. He's an absolute disgrace in my personal opinion. And, if we actually got to the final, I'd make him buy his own ticket and sit with us plebs to watch the game.

Kebe let me down today - I've stuck up for him a lot, but today he was abysmal. Rosenior is and has been absolute rubbish - I can't remember a game where I've thought he played well. His passing is woeful.

I think Kitson tries, but he holds back a bit. Marek, as I have said from the very beginning, is too good for us. He has a vision but the other players aren't on the same wavelength and that's why his balls often go astray. His goal was great and I was willing him to get another one.

I'd like to apologise to Russell Street for shouting and screaming throughout the whole match - and also for my childish one finger gesticulation to the Birmingham fans when Marek scored - at that point, I really believed we'd get another one and maybe get a winner in injury time.

The ref was atrocious too.

[Royalee]

You're just being very silly, Royalee. True enough, we've looked a bit cack lately, but we're still in with a shout at promotion. That is not holding the club back. Very few clubs manage to bounce back first time, so to achieve that would be somewhat remarkable. Stop talking like a mentalist.

Birmingham managed it and according to many on here they're shit and we're far better than them so why not?

[earleyroyal]

I'm glad that most Reading supporters, judging by conversations in the ground and on the radio - 'we were unlucky today, roll on the playoffs!!!' - are flag waving, clapper-banging mongoloids who would find a straw to clutch at in absolutely any situation. Not only are the players shit, which is forgivable, they largely don't seem to care, which isn't. No brains, no hearts, no guts - all we had to do today was not be rubbish, and we would be a Premiership team by now (albeit one that would get beaten every week); given our 94th chance to make amends we failed again. The standard of the league is awful this year, we have had so many opportunities to get promoted and whenever the pressure has been on, well

No positives at all to take, most games I can find something if I search hard enough but today nothing. In the long run it will be best to go up so we can take the money; hands up anyone who thinks that if we don't go up this year we'll go up next year? Coppell should go at the end of the year, he has been our best manager ever and deserves all the stands, statues and so on that we can make for him, but the same mistakes have been made this season as they were last time.

At least there was a little bit of the passion and defiance from the stands today after the first goal that was common from about 2005-2007, but the life seems to have been sucked out of the club, and it's probably because the fans don't see the players trying hard enough.

Roll on the playoffs

[wolsey]

I'm glad that most Reading supporters, judging by conversations in the ground and on the radio - 'we were unlucky today, roll on the playoffs!!!' - are flag waving, clapper-banging mongoloids who would find a straw to clutch at in absolutely any situation. Not only are the players shit, which is forgivable, they largely don't seem to care, which isn't. No brains, no hearts, no guts - all we had to do today was not be rubbish, and we would be a Premiership team by now (albeit one that would get beaten every week); given our 94th chance to make amends we failed again. The standard of the league is awful this year, we have had so many opportunities to get promoted and whenever the pressure has been on, well

No positives at all to take, most games I can find something if I search hard enough but today nothing. In the long run it will be best to go up so we can take the money; hands up anyone who thinks that if we don't go up this year we'll go up next year? Coppell should go at the end of the year, he has been our best manager ever and deserves all the stands, statues and so on that we can make for him, but the same mistakes have been made this season as they were last time.

At least there was a little bit of the passion and defiance from the stands today after the first goal that was common from about 2005-2007, but the life seems to have been sucked out of the club, and it's probably because the fans don't see the players trying hard enough.

Roll on the playoffs

I've got some rope you can use...where were you when we were shit?

[rotherwick_royal]

You're all being way too negative, we didn't deserve to lose the game and had the chances to win it. Just a shame that we couldn't considering the other result went our way.

Thought Rosenoir and Jem were poor, Marcus was unsighted but still should have kept out the first goal. Marek transformed the game when he came on, was really up for it, just wish he could play like that every week. Tabb and MM must be the midfield pairing for the play-offs. Actually thought that was S.Hunt's best game for a while, but some of his set pieces were awful. Thought we had the chances, none of the strikers were particularly effective totday.

[Gav]

You're just being very silly, Royalee. True enough, we've looked a bit cack lately, but we're still in with a shout at promotion. That is not holding the club back. Very few clubs manage to bounce back first time, so to achieve that would be somewhat remarkable. Stop talking like a mentalist.

Birmingham managed it and according to many on here they're shit and we're far better than them so why not?

Exactly. Why not?

We might make it, we might not. Either way, the club is not regressing.

It can't all be epic growth year on year.

[Royalee]

I'dve been quite happy with lower mid-table last season, although I don't see finishing in exactly the same position as we were 6 years ago as any sort of progress.

[shoey]

exactly, we are a mid championship team, who I think have been performing above our programme for a while now, which is great, ive loved it. We finished forth in a very hard league, and can still go up.

we were in old division 2, and struggling their not so long ago

We have no debt like stockport, soton etc and we will survive losing any prem parachute payments due to having a good business head with our chairman

all positives for me

[wolsey]

I'dve been quite happy with lower mid-table last season, although I don't see finishing in exactly the same position as we were 6 years ago as any sort of progress.

G E T S O M E T H E R A P Y

Failure to progress at all costs in not necessarily failure.

[Gav]

I'dve been quite happy with lower mid-table last season, although I don't see finishing in exactly the same position as we were 6 years ago as any sort of progress.

Trend it out for longer than six years. We're doin' alright.

[glass half full]

I'm glad that most Reading supporters, judging by conversations in the ground and on the radio - 'we were unlucky today, roll on the playoffs!!!' - are flag waving, clapper-banging mongoloids who would find a straw to clutch at in absolutely any situation. Not only are the players shit, which is forgivable, they largely don't seem to care, which isn't. No brains, no hearts, no guts - all we had to do today was not be rubbish, and we would be a Premiership team by now (albeit one that would get beaten every week); given our 94th chance to make amends we failed again. The standard of the league is awful this year, we have had so many opportunities to get promoted and whenever the pressure has been on, well

No positives at all to take, most games I can find something if I search hard enough but today nothing. In the long run it will be best to go up so we can take the money; hands up anyone who thinks that if we don't go up this year we'll go up next year? Coppell should go at the end of the year, he has been our best manager ever and deserves all the stands, statues and so on that we can make for him, but the same mistakes have been made this season as they were last time.

At least there was a little bit of the passion and defiance from the stands today after the first goal that was common from about 2005-2007, but the life seems to have been sucked out of the club, and it's probably because the fans don't see the players trying hard enough.

Our problem is that players, management and supporters do not seem to have any confidence when we play at home. Even when the pitch plays better, some players do not appear to want to treat the ball as their friend and treat it like a hot potato - frustrating as I still believe that the talent is there if only.... Never mind, our first playoff game will be away and that will be to our advantage.

Roll on the playoffs

[ScottishRoyal]

Frustrating.

A lot can and i'm sure will be said about the lack of quality from wide positions and set pices today. Also the way in which our 'tactics' completely cut our central midfield players out of the game and general lack of short passing must be questioned. However what appeared to be the greatest difference between the two sides was passion and cmmitment. Birmingham were fantastic at closing down from the first minute. Every time a Royal had the ball they were quickly surrounded by blue shirts who knew their jobs. Going forward the Blues were supporting one another by making runs to create space. We seemed the opposite. We let them have the ball, we never put men in the box, and often we played as individuals and not as a team.

[Royalee]

exactly, we are a mid championship team, who I think have been performing above our programme for a while now, which is great, ive loved it. We finished forth in a very hard league, and can still go up.

we were in old division 2, and struggling their not so long ago

We have no debt like stockport, soton etc and we will survive losing any prem parachute payments due to having a good business head with our chairman

all positives for me

Do you think Wigan, Blackburn, Bolton, Fulham, Hull, Stoke and Middlesbrough will pat themselves on the back if they get relegated then? Football doesn't work like that.

[Royalee]

I'dve been quite happy with lower mid-table last season, although I don't see finishing in exactly the same position as we were 6 years ago as any sort of progress.

Trend it out for longer than six years. We're doin' alright.

You mean before Coppell took over? Yeah we were making steady progress then.